XML processors are not supposed to handle Arabic text (content or names)
differently from LTR text, so the data should still be (where upper case
letters represent Arabic):
<ARABICNAME>ARABIC CONTENT</ARABICNAME>
If you look at such a data stream with an XML viewer or editor, results
may vary depending whether that viewer/editor has special handling for RTL
text. Since an XML file with Arabic stuff is likely to contain a mixture
of LTR and RTL text (both for content and for names), the display will
often be difficult to interpret visually and to edit, but this does not
mean that the XML will not be processed correctly by whatever application
it is meant for.
Shalom (Regards), Mati
Bidi Architect
Globalization Center Of Competency - Bidirectional Scripts
IBM Israel
Phone: +972 2 5888802 Fax: +972 2 5870333 Mobile: +972 52
2554160
"Sandra Bostian" <sbos@loc.gov>
Sent by: www-international-request@w3.org
20/10/2006 21:41
To
<www-international@w3.org>
cc
Subject
Arabic XML question
I'm working on some training materials and I have a question about Arabic
usage in XML elements and the order of tags in a bidi environment.
Normally, in an LTR environment you would get this:
<name>content</name>
I'm assuming the order of start and end tags would remain the same in a
bidi environment, with both Arabic language content and element names,
because these are processor rules and they are expecting a particular
syntax. But I couldn't find anything confirming or disputing this. Can
anyone confirm or point me to something that would say that this should
not be the way things are:
</eman>tnetnoc<eman> or <eman/>tnetnoc<eman>
and that it should be:
<eman>tnetnoc</eman>
Thanks,
Sandy
Sandy Bostian
Digital Conversion Specialist
Library of Congress
Meeting of Frontiers: http://frontiers.loc.gov
202-707-2342
sbos@loc.gov